“I didn’t tell anybody that I was a part of Spider-Man until the news was released,” the actor reveals to Polygon. “I remember it was in August of 2025, when the news was announced, and everyone was asking me who I was playing, and I said, ‘I cannot tell you. I am so sorry.'”
A full year later, the secret is out. Seemingly everyone on the planet has now seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which means Tillman is finally free to discuss everything about the movie, from his own character Bill Metzger’s motivations to some of its biggest twists, turns, and character reveals. Polygon recently caught up with Tillman over Zoom to ask him our eight most pressing questions about Brand New Day. Check out his answers below.
Warning: There are huge, Hulk-sized spoilers for the entire plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in this article.
1
Was Bill Metzger justified in what he did to Jean Grey?
Let’s cut right to the chase: In Brand New Day, Tillman’s character, Bill Metzger, is the head of the Department of Damage Control. Early on, he partners with Spider-Man (Tom Holland) to stop a powerful psychic villain who later turns out to be Jean Grey (Sadie Sink). By the end of the film, we learn that Metzger had previously kidnapped Jean’s sister (who also had psychic powers) and performed brutal experiments on her until she died. He then captures Jean and attempts to do the same thing.
He did what he needed to do to protect people.
Pretty evil stuff, but Jean is also a serious threat in the movie who puts thousands of lives at risk and seemingly kills at least one innocent person. (Plus she’s super mean to Peter.) So is Metzger’s attempt to control Jean and her powers justified? Tillman won’t go that far, but he empathizes with his character.
“I think what he did was motivated by his desire to protect the people he served,” the actor says. “He knew there was a threat out there, and it’s a very dangerous threat, and he needed to get to the bottom of it. He’s the type of person to do what he needs to do in order to protect or preserve the greater good. He did what he needed to do to protect people.”
2
Where is Metzger now?
The final confrontation between Spider-Man, Jean Grey, and Metzger resolves suddenly when Punisher (Jon Bernthal) accidentally shoots Spidey with a sniper rifle. The movie then cuts to a hospital, leaving Metzger’s fate uncertain, although it’s implied he managed to escape. So where is the character now?
“He’s on the apology tour,” Tillman says with a laugh, before offering a more realistic answer. “I don’t know. Probably taking a vacation. He encountered some pretty heavy stuff. I remember having this conversation with [director] Destin [Daniel Cretton] and Justin [Kuritzkes], the writer that I was working with. We were talking about what it would be like to experience power like Jean Grey. And as a result of the experimentation that he was doing on Jean, it intensified. Metzger got a front row seat to experience that. So I imagine he’s probably hiding out somewhere trying to recoup. Because that’s intense. Like near death. The glass was right in his eyes. He probably thought he was going to die.”
3
What did Justin Kuritzkes bring to Brand New Day‘s script?
Brand New Day was co-written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, the screenwriting duo behind the previous three Spider-Man movies. However, for this one, Sony also brought in Justin Kuritzkes (Challengers) to help director Destin Daniel Cretton on re-writes. Tillman worked directly with Kuritzkes to give his character more depth.
We both liked the idea that he was married.
“We talked a little about Metzger’s backstory,” Tillman says. “We both liked the idea that he was married. Him having a family is what helped raise the stakes. I’m not going to use the word justified, but anybody who has a significant other or kids, you move differently through the world because there’s people you love, and you care about relying on you. That helped to really lock him in; to push him forward. Those little details helped to make the character more full and well-rounded, if you will.
4
Does Tramell Tillman know what happens to Bill Metzger in the comics?
Bill Metzger isn’t an original character created for Brand New Day, but he’s very different in the comics where he primarily appears in the X-Men franchise as a radical, anti-mutant activist. Ultimately, that Metzger is killed by Magneto. Tillman says he’s aware of his comic-book counterpart, but tried not to let it color his performance.
“I did do a little digging when I got word of the character I was playing,” he says, “but I was also cautioned that, you know, they’re gonna play the way they want to. It’s great to have the research, but these creative geniuses are able to tell the story in many different ways. So I don’t know the future of Metzger beyond this movie.”
5
Was it hard keeping everything a secret?
“Oh, 100%,” Tillman says. “I’ve been a part of a few franchises now — Severance, Mission: Impossible — and secrecy is the name of the game. I’m really good at keeping secrets. It’s my superpower. So it was not too much of a struggle for me. The problem was keeping it from friends and family. I didn’t tell anybody that I was a part of Spider-Man until the news was released, and that just exploded. I remember it was in August of 2025 when the news was announced, and everyone was asking me who I was playing. And I said, ‘I cannot tell you. I am so sorry.’
“But the biggest relief was when I went to the premiere at the end of July of this year, and my team was able to see the character that I was playing, and whether or not their theories were right, and how excited they were. And also, you know, upset that I had tortured Jean Grey.”
6
What did he think of the V-Max twist?
Jean Grey’s quest in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is sparked by a single word delivered to her telepathically by her sister: “V-Max.” Soon, both Jean and Spider-Man are trying to figure out what it means, while Metzger plays innocent. Ultimately, it’s just the last thing Jean’s sister saw before she died: the word “Vent Max” written on a peeling sticker stuck to an overhead fan in her Damage Control prison.
It’s a gut-punch moment in the movie, but also admittedly a bit of a fakeout. Some fans online have even called it a letdown. So what does Tillman think?
“I didn’t see it as a letdown,” he says. “I thought it was really creative. It was almost a red herring. Spider-Man had asked Metzger what V-Max was, and I’m sure people thought that Metzger was lying and he knew. But in reality, he was like, ‘I have no idea. Why is everyone asking me that?’
“It does sound like something sinister, like a gene or a chemical or something. And all the while, it was a label. It was a vent. But it was heartbreaking because you realize that was the last thing Jean’s sister saw. I thought that was really clever storytelling. It’s a testament to the writers and to Destin’s direction in really letting that land.”
7
How does it feel to be part of the X-Men story?
Brand New Day is a Spider-Man movie, but it’s also an on-ramp to the X-Men ahead of their 2028 standalone film. There’s no guarantee Tillman will be involved in that movie — even if his character does have a mutant connection — but I was still curious how it feels for the actor to be connected to such a beloved superhero franchise.
I remember fantasizing about playing Professor X.
“I’ve always loved X-Men,” Tillman says. “I remember reading the comics. I remember fantasizing about playing Professor X. There was always something about the mutants that really appealed to me. And at that time, I didn’t know what it was. But the story was always a beautiful one about having this extreme power and being cast out of society and finding your own way, your own voice, and existing in space. So I’m 100% all about it. Whether or not I’m involved, I don’t know. It would be a childhood dream, but we’ll see what happens.”
8
Any updates on Severance season 3?
“We’re currently filming,” Tillman says. “I’m having a great time. It’s really great to be back and see everyone. I can’t wait for people to see the show. I hope that they really love what we have cooking.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in theaters now.